After Suthep Thaugsuban, chairman of the Foundation of the Great Mass of the People for Reform of Thailand, used Facebook to talk in real time about accepting the draft, UDD chairman Jatuporn announced plans to post a discussion on Facebook about rejecting the charter in the public referendum.

Peerasak said both Suthep and Jatuporn must take responsibility for their own actions, adding that although the law states everyone has the liberty to speak, they cannot publicly say anything that deviates from the truth.

Peerasak said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could take recourse to Article 44 of the interim charter to control the situation ahead of the referendum even if the Constitutional Court rules that Clause 2 of Article 61 of the Referendum Act violates Article 4 of the 2014 interim charter.

“But resorting to Article 44 must not violate the Constitutional Court’s ruling because its verdict has a binding effect on all state agencies,” he added.

Peerasak said he did not want to stop provincial campaigns to monitor fraud during the referendum – if the campaigners had no intention of seeking political gain. “The situation in the country is not yet normal. We would like politicians to keep the country’s atmosphere peaceful,” he said.

National Reform Steering Assembly’s political reform panel spokesman Wanchai Sornsiri said he believed Suthep’s positive comments about the charter draft and his statement that he would vote for the draft were legal.

“He is an example for politicians and academics who want to express opinions about the draft. Regardless of whether they reject or accept the draft, they should come out to express their views so people get information from both sides,” he said.

Democrat Party deputy leader Ongart Klampaiboon said he believed Suthep did not break the law when he took to Facebook to give reasons why he accepted the draft. “Others who want to show their stance about the draft through social media can also do that,” he said.

Ongart said that allowing both opponents and supporters of the charter draft to air their views would give the referendum legitimacy.

Meanwhile, the Pheu Thai Party issued a statement urging the government to stop resorting to intimidation to stop charter draft opponents from expressing their views.

The statement also called for the release of students and innocent people who campaigned for voting outside their constituencies in Samut Prakan on Thursday as well as Kasetsart University students who on Friday carried out activities to celebrate the country’s democracy on the occasion of June 24.